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Friday, 29 March 2013

We had an early start this morning. Noah was up by 630am and thanks to me and my recent pregnancy insomnia I decided to just get up and get going (and let daddy have a sleep in.) We planned to hit up a local community churches Easter celebrations later in the morning since we had no plans and thought it'd be fun.

Noah got to experience his first Easter egg hunt while there! I wasn't sure how well he'd understand, but within a minute of starting he knew exactly what to do. Find those bright coloured choc chocs and put them in his little bag!

After the hunt we enjoyed a pancake breakfast. Noah currently loves pancakes and oranges so the meal was a big hit with him. He even got to meet the Easter bunny! As soon as he saw him he got a huge smile on his face and started giggling like crazy. He gave him some high fives but wasn't too sure about standing alone with him. So dada jumped in for the picture.

He is now conked out upstairs for his nap and when he wakes up, we'll have a little reunion with his Nana & Papa who have been gone for two weeks. What an exciting day for a 1.5 year old!

Thursday, 28 March 2013

We are right in the thick of it. That point in life where its all about raising kids, having babies, making the morgage and vehicle payments and simply trying to keep up enough energy to function. We have a great life and I am very thankful for what God has blessed us with. But there is one thing both my husband and I find frustrating. We miss each other!

I know its completely normal once children arrive to have this happen. It's not that we don't love or appreciate each other any less. In fact, I can honestly say I love and appreciate my husband more now then I did when we were first married! He does so much for us on a daily basis and I am incredibly grateful for that. But we just don't have the time for each other like we did before children.

We've tried weekly date nights, but finances, available sitters and pure exhaustion makes it easier to just stay home and fall into our regular evening routines. And here we are about to add another child into the mix, so I know it's only going to get harder. So what's the solution? We honestly don't know! How do others out there with young families make your marriage a top priority between work, play and various other activities? How do you find balance?

I know it will get easier as our children get older, but like I said, we are right now in the thick of things and will be for quite a few years yet. In the meantime, I want our marriage to be the best it can be! And I want to be sure that my husband feels as though he is my top priority. And I want to feel as though I am his! I want us to be the best example we can be of what a loving, God honoring marriage looks like for our children.

Monday, 25 March 2013

Matt and I have discussed on and off for years what kind of education we want for our children. He grew up going to a public school, where as I attended a Christian school for all of but two years (I homeschooled for those other two.)
One thing we have already decided on for sure is that our kids will not be attending their local public school. We aren't at all judging those who choose to do so and I know there are some wonderful teachers in the public system, but it's just not what we want for our family. We don't like the politics involved nor the fact that any kind of Christian belief or celebration is being hindered more and more by our government.

Christian schooling is a wonderful option. I had nothing but positive experiences both attending and working at a private school and would love my children to be apart of that. There is a great sense of community and support in these schools that I haven't heard much about elsewhere. Their academic standings are also substantially higher then other schools which is a great help for kids looking towards post secondary. The problem? The cost... Ouchie. Anytime I look up tuition fees with my husband and we talk about it we think to ourselves, 'How can we ever afford that!?' Living in the Fraser Valley is already an expensive option for a family, so tacking on an extra 500+ a month to attend school is hard to comprehend. Yes, I understand it takes a sacrifice in other areas. But I honestly don't know how some people do it! At least not on one income...

So the other option is homeschooling. Matt and I always come back to the verse in the bible found in Proverbs 22:6 It says, "6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." As parents it is OUR responsibility to teach our children, not the governments. God has left that in our hands. So should we be taking it on ourselves to ensure that our children are taught in all ways of life how we see fit?I love the idea of teaching our children at home, I really do. My biggest worry is that I won't do a good job or that ill go crazy with the kids all day. And every time I look up information on getting started I find the process so overwhelming. My mom homeschooled my youngest brother for many many years and said it was absolutely no big deal. So perhaps I am over thinking it.

But it'd be super helpful to sit down with someone who does it full time and have it explained to me - or else even with one of the marking teachers from Heritage Or Regent Christian online. If anyone knows of something like this please let me know!

Anyways, those are just my thoughts today. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences as well. Would love to hear them :)

Sunday, 24 March 2013

Noah skipped his afternoon nap again today.
He does this every now and then. It seems that if he misses that sleepy window (between 1130-1230) he won't settle and just gets another wind of energy. He usually can last just fine until around 4:00 or 4:30 but then things go down hill fast.

Sundays we are at church until about 12:30. It's a struggle keeping him happy and occupied for several hours, especially when hes tired and eventually gets bored of the upstairs nursery. When he was a bit younger he would fall asleep in the crib there and it would make things super easy, but he won't do that now. Sunday mornings are exhausting for both mommy and Noah...

So today he yawned all the way home and through his quick lunch before we put him down around 1:30pm. He whined and fussed in his crib for an hour before we finally gave up and brought him down. He was a happy child, running around and laughing. We started making an early dinner around 4:45 and he began to completely fall apart. Matt and I couldn't help but laugh when he had a complete meltdown simply because he couldn't get a cracker into his mouth on a spoon. He wasn't angry, he just started crying his eyes out with his head thrown back. Poor goober...
I don't get it. Most children will just pass out on their parents or the floor or wherever when they get tired enough. But not Noah! He just gets more hyper or more emotional!

At 5:45 we carried him upstairs, read him a few stories and put him down for the night. So early I know but he passed out pretty quick, and really it's only an hour earlier then he usually goes down.
And now, Dada and Mama finally get a break. Ahh...

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Not much to report over here. It's another beautiful spring day here in the lower mainland and Noah is suppose to be upstairs napping. However, he has decided that it's much more fun to play in his crib and throw his blankets and stuffies across the room. Certainly doesn't bother me any!

Had a quick prenatal check up this morning and baby Asher still seems to be doing well. Head down, measuring right on track and a heart beat of 145. We talked a little about my last delivery and I mentioned how I have a goal of pushing this guy out in 20 minutes. My doctor smiled and told me that if I could push out a posterior 9 pound baby in 40 minutes (Noah) then if all goes well I should be able to have this guy out in three pushes. How fantastic would that be!? Matt says I shouldn't get my hopes up but oh how nice that sounds! I also secretly hope baby comes earlier then my due date. Not much earlier, because I know he needs time to be just right. But anything after 39 weeks would be greatly appreciated!

My family has been on vacation for about a week now and I'm starting to miss my momma. We are use to talking/seeing each other every single day so It's hard when shes away for a long time. Even Noah has noticed her absence and has woken up a few mornings now asking about Nana. We've been having lots of skype visits with Grandmaman though which are enjoyable too! And we are looking forward to seeing her in a few months when she comes to visit!

Well, its been well over an hour now and the little guy is still chatting away in his crib. Perhaps it's time to check on him again. Hope everyones having a wonderful day :)

Monday, 18 March 2013

The weather has been gorgeous here in the lower mainland for the past couple of days. After the miserably wet week we had before that it was great for Noah to play outside and get some fresh air.

Saturday we went to our complex park and the slide was actually dry for once! Noah spent quite a while climbing up (on his own - my poor heart) and sliding down. So full of smiles!

This morning I let him roam around on the deck as I was feeling a little sore. He happily entertained himself out there for a good 30 minutes by dancing, pushing things around, riding on his 'choo choo' and practising stepping in and out of the house.

You may have noticed that I am trying to take more pictures. I have seriously been slacking in this department while I have been pregnant, but I need to get back into the habit of using it with the new baby coming. It'd help if I wasn't such a clean freak and could just leave it out somewhere instead of constantly putting it back in the closet in its case.
It would also help if my toddler didn't move at the speed of light and would simply STOP for a minute and look at me so I can get a picture of his adorable face. *sigh* Ah well, I am doing the best that I can.

PS - Matt and I were talking last night about the idea of going in and getting another 3D ultrasound done of face shots. It's so so tempting! It's the perfect time to get them done and I am just so eager to see this baby boy!!!

Saturday, 16 March 2013

Friday marked the start of week 31 (or 30 +1) depending on how you count. So confusing to me still.
I'm tired and I have started to waddle. I'm finding it hard to be on my feet for too long without getting uncomfortable from the weight of the baby and carting Noah around has become almost impossible. Usually I can make him go up the stairs himself, but sometimes he likes to be stubborn and makes me carry him (usually around nap time.) Even lifting him up to put him on the change table is a challenge.
I'll go ahead and say it - I'm ready to no longer be pregnant! I miss going out for walks and pushing Noah in the stroller up a hill without pelvis pain. I miss having energy and being able to fit into regular clothes. I miss not peeing every 15 minutes haha.

The last few weeks I have been dealing with the added annoyance of third trimester vomiting. We are pretty sure it is tied to my prenatal supplements so after trying another brand and still having the nausea my doctor has pulled me off of them. This morning we went out to Costco and loaded up on iron rich and other super healthy foods for me to add to my diet. I'll go for another blood test in the next week or so and see how bad the anaemia is and make sure I'm getting enough.

Baby Asher is still head down, which is great news! My doctor said that if he is still head down at 34 weeks we should be good to go and can forget about worries of a csection. Yay! He is sending me for an ultrasound to double check that as well as to get a better view of Ashers kidneys. I think he is getting to be pretty big. Last night I watched what was either a knee or a foot moving all across my belly, sticking out here and there. He is favouring the left side of my body which doesn't surprise me because it's where Noah spent most of his time. It's probably pretty stretched out and roomy! If I try to sleep on my left (which is apparently the best position to sleep in) Asher will kick and punch me until I flip over to my right. Guess the kid knows what he likes already.

Well, I'm off to go put my feet up and enjoy what little is left of Noahs nap. I've got to cherish these last few weeks with one child. Pretty soon nap time will be filled with a second child! How exciting!

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

I have a confession to make... Being a stay at home mom can be very lonely.

This has been on my brain the last 48 hours and I debated blogging about it, because being a stay at home mom is a wonderful blessing and I don't want to give off the wrong impression. I know many are not lucky enough to be able to stay home so I don't want to seem ungrateful for the circumstance that I am lucky to be in. But it's the truth. And after reading several articles that have been circulating lately about what a mom should or shouldn't do I feel compelled to elaborate on my thoughts.

I am a social person. I always have been. I love to be around and chat with people about anything and everything. Before I had kids I worked full time in various jobs that still allowed me to be around people a majority of the time. On long draining days I dreamt of being able to stay at home when I had kids and how much 'easier' it would be to do so. But suddenly you become a mom and it's just you and kids 24/7 and a long list of things that need to be done around the house. Again, not such a horrible thing, but it's not always easy either.

Often during the day I find myself watching the clock for when my husband will get home. Yes, sometimes it's because I am desperate for a break and a little bit of 'me' time. But it's also just the fact that in a few hours I will have another adult to converse with. Or even simply to sit next to! Someone who doesn't require me to wipe their nose, change their bottom or entertain them. Plus, when it's my husband it's someone who loves me very much and who I dislike being away from.

I have things that I do to keep myself distracted or from getting too lonely. Play groups, phone calls, church activities and home schedules that I follow. All help combat that feeling of having no one to talk to but your toddler. Yes, even facebook helps to get in bit of 'social time.' And It's not like I am sitting around with nothing to do all day! Trust me, it's quite the opposite! That is where part of the battle comes in! I find myself thinking, "hmm, I should invite so and so over for tea." But then I either convince myself they'd be too busy for me anyways or else I think about the state my house is in and drop the idea. But there are still some weeks or days where it gets hard. And I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

Every moment of our day is dedicated to our families. It's our calling and we are happy to do it. Most of the time I love it! But I just had to throw it out there in case others aren't aware or in case mothers with grown up children have forgotten (because I am sure they felt this way then too!)

Monday, 11 March 2013

Today Matt and I did some reorganising and cleaning of our downstairs office. I guess you can say we've been doing spring cleaning because all weekend has been like this. We also have been going through our computer files and uploading/organising that stuff.
I've gotta say, I am sure grateful that we had a video camera when Noah was first born! All those little video clips are priceless and I know I will treasure them when he is much older. I wish I could watch video footage of my childhood like he'll be able to do!

I decided to go ahead and make our youtube video channel public. Before it was all private and I would have to send anyone a specific link to show them something. This makes it a lot easier for friends and family to watch our clips (if interested.)

Saturday, 9 March 2013

What a gorgeous day here in the fraser valley! We opened up the windows to let in all that fresh spring air and Noah got to enjoy lots of outside time. Matt rearranged our living room furniture back to the spring/summer format which frees up the glass sliding door for BBQs and playtime on our deck.

We did a Walmart run this morning and bought our 3rd or 4th container of strawberries this week. Oh, and we already ate most of them. Fruit does not last long in this house! I found it difficult to walk this morning thanks to pain around my pelvic bone, so I spent a majority of Noah's nap time with my feet up on the couch. That must have helped a lot because by 3pm I suddenly turned into a cleaning machine! I honestly don't know what got into me (maybe that fresh air?) but I was all over the townhouse cleaning this, dusting that and organizing rooms and cupboards. Perhaps nesting is kicking in early! It was wonderful to feel like I had energy for a change! I am consciously eating more so maybe that's helping too.

Matt and I had a delicious BBQ steak dinner; Noah does not like BBQ food. I don't know what's wrong with that child. But he quite happily polished off two bowls of plain Cheerios with milk (I certainly wasn't going to cook him a separate meal!) I even made brownies for dessert which we look forward to enjoying later with some ice cream and a movie.

All in all, a great day! We were hoping to maybe get out to the zoo, but both Noah and Matt are fighting off a bit of a cold so we figured we'd hold off for another time. Hope you are all having a great weekend - and don't forget to change your clocks tonight!

Ps - a big congrats to the Tanis and Voros family, who both welcomed little baby boys to the world over the past 24 hours! Seriously... 2013 is the year of boys it would seem!!!

Friday, 8 March 2013

If you have a moment of free time and would be willing to VOTE for us on Facebook we'd greatly appreciate it :)

We've entered a Mommy & Me photo contest to win Noah a customized toddler blanket (I really want something curious George themed...) We've been wanting to get him one but it just hasn't been in the budget, so winning a free one would be amazing!

All you have to do is follow this link, LIKE the picture and LIKE the companies page. You need to be signed into facebook to do it.The person with the most votes wins!

Thursday, 7 March 2013

Had my latest prenatal checkup this morning! We've been booking them for first thing in the morning so that I am the first appointment of the day (usually around 8:30am) This works out great for us because Matt can take Noah over to the McDonald's play place during my appointment and pick me up half an hour later. It makes it a lot easier since this way Matt misses minimal work. I go every two weeks now, which means I'm getting closer to delivery, yay!!!

I'm doing pretty good! My blood pressure is excellent, I passed my gestational diabetes test and they've recently upped my thyroid meds. During my GD test they also checked my iron levels which I failed. Not surprising as I was anemic with Noah. So they are sending me off to test that again just to make sure it wasn't a result of the fasting I had done. If I fail again ill go onto extra iron supplements. Not a big deal.

My doctor did a good feel of baby Asher's measurements and based on my paperwork of where I was with Noah at this point, she thinks this guy won't be as big! I'm not measuring as large nor have I gained as much weight. This could of course all change over the next 2 months if he starts really packing on the pounds, but she's predicting a nice 8 pounder. We'll see!

And now for the big question... Is he still breech? As I said, she did a very good feel of my belly and his positioning. As far as she can tell he is HEAD DOWN! Yippee!! She is not 100 percent certain, but believes that it's his butt that I've been feeling sticking up. It would also make sense since his hiccoughs have been low. Of course he could still flip around into another position and they will check again at my next appointment, but they think he'll be good to go. Best news I could ask for really.

She also brought about the renal dilation reflux thing again and assured me that she sees it all the time in boys and that she doesn't anticipate it being an issue at all. She said the last time she actually had a baby born with this kidney issue it was a girl and the measurements during the ultrasound were quite significant. She told me not to even give it a second thought, so that's comforting.

All in all a great checkup! I will be seeing my family doctor next week for a checkup since I haven't seen him since December. Noah will also be getting his 18 month shot at this time, and Matt's coming, so I can leave the room haha.

Saturday, 2 March 2013

This has been on my brain a bit lately as I have many many friends who are currently pregnant or have recently had children. Body image. It's something a lot of us struggle with from a young age and it never seems to go away, it just changes.

I know that there is the occasional woman out there who totally embraces pregnancy with confidence, feeling gorgeous and not worrying about her size, weight, or whatever else is happening to her body. But for a lot of us it's something that bothers us at least a little. People start commenting on how large you are, asking if you are carrying twins or act shocked when you tell them your due date. Yeah, it's not exactly a confidence booster!
Many of us also have the joy of dealing with stretch marks, swollen hands and feet, and stuffy or bloody noses. Doesn't exactly make a girl feel beautiful.

My belly is getting big. I'm in week 29 of pregnancy and that precious baby boy inside me currently weighs anywhere from 2.5-3 pounds (so my app tells me.) He is floating around along with a bunch of other extra things adding to the weight like water, placenta, blood, etc. I'm not worried about my weight gain as it's still sitting around 12 pounds. I had no problem losing it last time and I plan to do whatever I can to lose it again this time.

I got stretch marks from Noah at the very end of my last pregnancy, around week 38/39. Then I had gallbladder surgery and received a few more scars including a larger one around my belly button (and the gallbladder problems were due to pregnancy in the first place.) This time around the marks I have have gotten darker and because of my operated on belly button area I have already gotten new stretch marks around those scars. If I end up having to have a csection from this little guy being breech I'll have another scar added to the collection.

I know skin eventually tightens up after pregnancy and there are exercises/stretches to help with it, but for most people it never fully goes back to the way it was. It'll always be looser then what it was.

What's my point in all this? I've just decided not to care about it so much anymore and embrace it all. Yes, I'm getting large. I'm suppose to. I'm growing a human being inside my body and it's no easy task. The scars aren't fun to see, but I'm considering those my battle scars. They represent what I've accomplished and what I'm doing. So what if I never wear a bikini again! My husband could care less and still thinks I'm beautiful, even in a one piece. Would I trade my children for a smaller tighter hotter body? Never in a million years!!!

So next time you see a pregnant woman, do her a favour and avoid commenting on her size. Tell her how beautiful she looks growing that baby. Believe me, you'll make her day!